the tales and trials of a twenty-something

Superstition: It’s Only Weird

In college, I always wanted to do a study on the difference between OCD and superstition. I feel that people with OCD or with superstitions believe that if they don’t perform a certain ritual or wear a certain dirty sock on their left foot (for example) that something bad is going to happen to someone they love, their team, or themselves.

Here, let me bore you with some definitions. The United States National Library of Medicine defines OCD as,

“An anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, ideas, sensations (obsessions), or behaviors that make them feel driven to do something (compulsions).”

“Often the person carries out the behaviors to get rid of the obsessive thoughts, but this only provides temporary relief. Not performing the obsessive rituals can cause great anxiety.”

Dictionary.com defines superstition as,

“Irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with
religion. (Fear of the unknown also known as anxiety)

“A belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.”

Aside from various social stigmas, I won’t get into what differences are (probably because they would refute me), but it sounds to me that both compulsions and superstitions arise from valuable, convenient, coincidences thusly rendering them tangibly useless.

Wow. What was even the point of all of that?

As an athlete and sports fan, I am superstitious. When I played volleyball, if we won a match, I would wear the same pair of socks (after washing them) until we lost and the socks lost their spark. Athletes also have certain routines whether they’re shooting a free throw, serving a volleyball, or about to take an at bat in baseball. Seriously, watch any baseball game and you’ll see the batters un-velcro their gloves, then re-velcro them, then spit, then hit their foot with the bat, then blink 4 times, then spin in a circle, then curtsy, but I digress. I’ve come to realize that I have picked up various superstitions or rituals when it comes to applying for jobs. Perhaps being superstitious or compulsive or WHATEVER is what is deterring me from greatness. Therefore, I am going to stop thinking I can control every freggin’ aspect of my life (and other people’s lives for that matter). Ohhhh, so that’s what my dad pays my therapist for. See, things are already coming together.

Okay I’ll start now.

I have an interview, Friday. See, old me would have thought revealing such information would jinx my chances. Also, I’m getting a haircut today so that’s pretty big. I guess we’ll see if it all works. Wait; is explicitly not having superstitions another form of a superstition? Shit damn it.